Montana - A Winning Combination
By: Timothy Hagy
Photos by: Javier Mateo
Paris, Oct 7, 2001/ FW/ --- As guests sipped iced Piper-Heidsick champagne from straws
placed inside miniature bottles, the Montana Spring-Summer 2003 Collection took off from
a runway illuminated by dazzling white light.
The skeptic might have been expecting a blah show, and to some extent, when any designer's
artistic license is restrained by commercial elements, the resulting look can have about as
much interest as bland milk toast and grits.
If there was a safe theme that ran the length of the show, that could be explained by the
fact that the fashion industry is now in its third consecutive year of declining sales.
With the bellicose mantra of war daily emanating from Washington, it is understandably not
the best moment to take risk.
And there was none taken by Stéphane Parmentier for the House of Montana.
Every idea was solid, tested, and highly marketable.
The flexible cut of the tracksuits, bomber jackets, parkas and vests could be easily adjusted
to fit an array of sizes, from the extreme petite of the chosen models on Sunday, to a
more rounded variation suitable for the average consumer.
Mt. Parmentier's guarded approach, though, in no way restrained the creative aspect of his
work, and indeed, a sleek elegance graced many of the pieces - especially, a set of
full-length dresses flowing in super-light silk and satin.
The cascading appliqué hearkened back to the style of the early 60s, a time when evenings
at the White House used to sparkle.
There was an amazing similarity in this set of backless and sleeveless dresses, to
those designed by Oleg Cassini for Jacqueline Kennedy half a century ago.
Likewise, a set of superb beige jackets was superimposed with white rectangles, and a
series of fringed skirts were worn with tops skillfully inlaid with sparkly zippers.
The dazzling, chalky white of the opening suits and mini-mini shorts eventually gave way
to more ample pieces in charcoal, mushroom brown and azure.
Mr. Parmentier has an eye for elegance, and that comes as a no surprise since he trained
with both Karl Lagerfeld and Givenchy.
His cautious, though graceful approach may just be the perfect combination for the summer
of 2003.
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